Design Professionals' Viewpoint on Color Application in the Design of Pediatric Patients' Rooms

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to compare the color preferences for pediatric patient room design between design professionals and groups of children, including healthy children, pediatric inpatients, and pediatric outpatients. Background Design professionals bear the responsibility of establishing psychologically supportive environments for patients. It is essential for designers to have a comprehensive understanding of patients' needs, as knowledge‐based design plays a vital role in fostering healing environments. Methods This study utilized a physical model simulation to assess color preferences for pediatric patient room design, ensuring reliability and feasibility. Six physical models, each displaying one of five primary Munsell Color System colors (red, blue, green, yellow, purple) or white, were presented simultaneously to participants. This method allowed for realistic color perception on wall surfaces. Confounding variables, including color attributes and light sources, were controlled to ensure consistency and accuracy in evaluating preferences. Results The study included 213 participants: 60 healthy children, 60 pediatric outpatients, and 33 pediatric inpatients (aged 7–11 years) recruited in Texas, and 60 design professionals (aged 23–60 years) from architectural firms in Texas. The findings demonstrated distinct color preference variations between design professionals and the groups of children. However, overall, the color preference patterns remained largely consistent across all four groups. Conclusions Blue and green emerged as the most preferred colors across all groups, while white consistently ranked as the least preferred. The children groups reported higher preference scores for all colors compared to the design professionals.